As I’ve discussed in my previous posts, diabetes costs are high, even for those with controlled diabetes (patients who have stable blood glucose levels and are managing their risks for chronic complications), but they are often even higher for individuals with uncontrolled diabetes.

People with diabetes also have a higher risk for certain—some very serious—complications, including hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia (high and low glucose, respectively), ulcers, infections, heart attacks, and acute kidney failure. On average, people with uncontrolled diabetes spend $940 per year for ER visits, inpatient hospital visits, and home health services, and this can be higher if the patient has a lengthy inpatient stay or needs extra care.

Average Annual Out-of-Pocket Spending on Uncontrolled Diabetes

However, individuals with uncontrolled diabetes are not the only ones spending large amounts of money on health complications; there are many conditions that tend to occur along with diabetes (comorbidities) that can make managing diabetes more difficult.

In an analysis done by GoodRx, with a nationally representative sample, over 86% of patients observed had at least one chronic complication, like heart disease, chronic kidney disease, high cholesterol, erectile dysfunction, and others. Ophthalmic complications, including glaucoma and blindness, are usually the most expensive to treat, followed by vascular disease (like blood clots), and neurologic symptoms (like pain associated with diabetic neuropathy).

Average Annual Out-of-Pocket Spending on Chronic Complications of Diabetes

Here’s a list of some out-of-pocket costs for for chronic complications or comorbidities of diabetes:

• Most office visits cost less than $150 per year (excluding visits relating to lower limb neuropathy), while most outpatient visits cost less than $100 per year (excluding visits related to coronary artery disease).
• Medication for conditions like urinary tract infections, incontinence, yeast infections, and sleep disorders each cost on average, less than around $50 per year, while medications for blood clots, lower limb neuropathy, glaucoma, chronic kidney disease, and anxiety cost over $150 per year.
• Medications for high cholesterol and high blood pressure each cost about $105 per year.
• With the highest annual out-of-pocket cost for ER visits, blood clots and high blood pressure cost over $280 each.
• Coronary artery disease, heart attacks, and blood clots have the highest annual cost of inpatient hospitalizations at about $550, $700, and $875, respectively.
• Home healthcare actually accounted for the highest out-of-pocket costs, even though they are less frequently used. Some people with diabetes can spend thousands of dollars per year in home healthcare alone.

Average Annual Out-of-Pocket Spending on Commonly Treated Chronic Complications and Comorbidities

The total cost of these complications really depends on how many the individual has, how severe they are, and what their insurance will cover. The graph below shows the average out-of-pocket cost of chronic conditions from diabetes.

In addition to having to spend more money on doctors visits, medications, etc., people with diabetes may need to take time off work if their condition becomes severe enough, known as absenteeism. Though the number of days missed from work is dependent on the number of conditions an individual has, those with diabetes had significantly higher rates of absenteeism than those without diabetes.

Missing work due to diabetes complications results in lost wages for the patient, and the following graph shows how the average number of days of work missed by diabetes patients grouped by number of chronic complications.

Average Number of Days of Work Missed by Diabetes Patients Due to Illness

People with no chronic conditions missed about 5 days of work, which translates to about $265 in lost wages, calculated based on the average total wage income reported by people with diabetes in the sample. And, of people with six or more complications, 10% reported missing at least two months of work due to illness, which translated to about $3,317 in lost wages. In addition to losing wages, people with diabetes also risk losing employer-sponsored health insurance, which is critical to affording medication, if they are unable to work.

There are also indirect costs of diabetes besides absenteeism, including reduced productivity at work and home, unemployment, long-term disability, and premature death.

Based on the analysis done by GoodRx, people with diabetes who use insulin and have insurance can spend over $4,800 per year caring for their condition, and losing insurance or developing complications of diabetes can make this number even higher. Also, if recent trends continue and diabetes drug and healthcare prices continue to increase, the true cost of diabetes is also expected to increase.

Average Annual Cost of Living with Diabetes

I know I talked about conditions that can arise from having diabetes, so I wanted to give a fuller list. These conditions include: heart disease, stroke, hypoglycemia, diabetic neuropathy diabetic kidney disease, diabetic foot problems, diabetic eye disease, dental issues, and sexual and bladder problems.

 

Sources: GoodRx, NIH